The Dedication Day Of The Patriarchal Cathedral

Romanian Orthodox Church

His Beatitude Daniel Celebrated The Divine Liturgy On The Dedication Day Of The Patriarchal Cathedral

On 21 May 2010, hundreds of faithful participated in the feast of Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen”, the dedication day of the Patriarchal Cathedral. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel celebrated the Divine Liturgy on a scene situated near the Patriarchal Cathedral, assisted by a group of 10 hierarchs, priests and deacons.

The following hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church participated in the feast of the Saint Emperors Constantine and Helen: His Eminence Nifon, Archbishop of Targoviste, His Eminence Calinic, Archbishop of Arges and Muscel, His Eminence Casian, Archbishop of Lower Danube, His Grace Ambrozie, Bishop of Giurgiu, His Grace Daniil, Bishop locum tenens of Dacia Felix, His Grace Siluan, Romanian Orthodox Bishop in Hungary, His Grace Macarie, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Northern Europe, His Grace Mihail, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Australia and New Zealand, His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, and His Grace Varsanufie Prahoveanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest.

The church dedicated to Saint Emperors Constantine and Helen was consecrated in 1658 by Patriarch Macarie of Antioch and of All Orient, together with Metropolitan Steven of Wallachia and Bishops of Ramnic and Buzau. Following a princely decree of 8 June 1668, during the reign of prince Radu Leon (1664 – 1669), the Monastery became metropolitan residence.

In the sermon addressed to the faithful, after reading the Holy Gospel, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel spoke about the role that Saint Emperor Constantine played in the life of the Church: “Saint Constantine, the Emperor, was an emperor for 31 years, from 306, till 337. Saint Constantine remains in the conscience of the Church as the first Roman Emperor who gave liberty to the Christians through his famous Edict of Milan. But the emperor was not only a neuter person who gave the people only freedom of conscience showing the equality of the religions in the Empire, but he also gave great help to the Church”, informs Trinitas Radio station.

His Beatitude also explained why Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helen, too, is called “just like the Apostles”: ‘The faith in Jesus Christ that Saint Emperor Constantine witnessed, had been conveyed to him by his mother through a good Christian education. So, we see here the role of the mother in conveying faith in the family, faith conveyed with love and wisdom, with secrecy, because at the time when Constantine was educated, the Christians were persecuted. She influenced him so much to help the Church, that the Church considers her just like the Apostles, namely she must be also honoured together with Emperor Constantine just like the Apostles, for their apostolic work, namely missionary, because “apostle” means “delegate, missionary”, informs Trinitas Tv station.

On the occasion of the historical dedication day, the Patriarch of Romania presented in the sermon delivered in the end of the Divine Liturgy a short history of the Patriarchal Cathedral and underlined the need to build a new Cathedral because the present place of worship has become too small for the religious services celebrated here: “This Cathedral protected by Saints Emperors Constantine and his mother, Helen, was first a church monastery. After only 10 years since its consecration, it became a Metropolitan Cathedral, in 1668, through a decree issued by prince Radu Leon. In 1925, it also became a temporary Patriarchal Cathedral. It is a church monastery dating from the 7th century, which has become too small for its dedication day, as you can see. This is why we pray God to help us to celebrate, not in a very long time, the religious services with more pilgrims, pilgrims from all over the country and from abroad, in the new Cathedral, the Patriarchal Cathedral dedicated to the “Ascension of the Lord and to Jesus Christ, our Lord”, and to “Saint Andrew the Apostle, the first called”.

The Patriarch of Romania also showed that the Symbol of faith is the synthesis of the Orthodox teaching about God: “The Orthodox Creed is not a simple poem, but the heart of our faith, the faith concentrated in an accessible, concise, form, available to all faithful. This is why it should be learned by heart as soon as possible, because nobody can be called Orthodox, if he does not know the Orthodox Symbol or the Creed. It shows the faith in God-the-Father, in God-the-Son and in God-the-Holy Spirit, the faith in the Church One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, the confession of one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. It confesses the faith both in the Resurrection of the dead and in getting the eternal life. The Creed is the synthesis, the concise cup of the whole Orthodox faith on God and on our holy eternal relationship with God the Holy Trinity”.

Then His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel awarded prizes to the winners of the contest entitled “My Creed” who received from the Patriarch of Romania the “Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen” diploma, the “Patriarchal Cross” badge (issued on the occasion of the anniversary of 125 years since the official recognition of the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church and of 85 years since its raising to the rank of Patriarchate), the book “The Christian Orthodox Symbol of Faith”, as well as the “Call of Faith” magazine for children and Christian family.

During the award festivity, held after the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch of Romania awarded the diploma of honour to Mrs. Ortansa Ionescu from Bucharest, for the financial support granted to the Archdiocese of Bucharest: “We mention the contribution of a faithful lady, Mrs. Ortansa Ionescu from Bucharest, to whom we award the diploma of honour of “Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen”, because she helped a lot with the adorning of each altar of the Archdiocese of Bucharest with new antimises for the great feasts that are ready to be sent to parishes. I consecrated one thousand antimises, but we still need a few for monasteries and parishes.”

On this occasion, His Beatitude also awarded the order of “Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen” to Rev. Archdeacon Jean Lupu, as a proof of appreciation for the activity he unfolded as conductor of the Symbol choir of the Romanian Patriarchate. “Symbol Choir, very well known abroad, is conducted by archdeacon Jean Lupu. We wish to offer him – as a sign of appreciation for the activity unfolded so far, as he showed the musical values abroad in the country and abroad – the order of “Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen”, for missionary, cultural, musical activity as well as for faithfulness to the values of Orthodoxy, in general, and of the Romanian Orthodoxy, in particular. And the order of “Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen” for clergy is not a badge, but a cross, recently issued and prepared. This cross has the icon of Saints Emperors Constantine and of his mother Helen in the middle”, said His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.

Source: